-Lia
had been busy, both before she and Jor left, and even more so since she had
convinced Jor to allow her and one ship to return to Port Kar for the Caste
meeting, her last, as she finally retired. Kings she hated this place so badly.
It festered in her, maybe she had truly begun to see it through Jor's eyes, and
not ones blinded by love of a rock. A rock that when she really truly thought
about it, aside from her five children all being born Karian, had given her
nothing but pain and suffering almost as long as she had sworn to it. She had
left twice, the first time with Hades too many decades ago to count now, then
with Nazarus several years ago. This, her third time, would be the last. She
never should have come back. She should have listened to Hades and stayed in
Kassau and never come back at all, no matter how many times Thorin asked her.
But she had not, she had pleaded with Hades to let them come back. He might be
alive today perhaps, if she had left it alone. He had stayed on Thassa
constantly because he hated the city too, she was sure it was why he had died.
She never should have come back after she left with Naz and the Black Fleet, but
she did, because she was hurt, had thought she should, because she wanted to
right a wrong, and she thought she could make a difference. How disillusioned
she had been. Naz, she had not seen him in a long time, but suddenly her mind
went back to the night he left Port Kar, right after that fateful Council of
Captains meeting, when everyone thought he would be arrested. He escaped by
setting a small fire, using the smoke as a screen to get to the docks and out of
the city, never really intending for anything to burn, because fire, it was
dangerous in Port Kar. Such could be deadly, what with the overcrowding, and the
buildings all compressed together and the squalor. Yes, a fire would be quite
devastating. She twirls the leather bracelet
on her wrist, the one given to her by Mae four years ago after that fateful
reading. She was to throw it on a fire to aid in her escape, the night she saw a
blue halo around the three moons of Gor. That night had come and gone and there
had been no need of the bracelet. What with it's tiny glass bead of oil. Oil,
Mae had said it would be explosive. Yes it could work. The
more she thought about it the more the idea solidified in her mind. Finally she
formulated a plan which would ensure she never came back to the cesspool that is
Port Kar and she would leave wreckage in her wake.
She
had over the last several hands gotten everything she owned out of Steel Nykus.
Most was heading north with Jor and her children. But some was sent to the
family estate in Ar. Scrolls were sent out. She took care of the transfer of all
her property to her son, and her ships to Jor, then a scroll was sent to Kol,
her man at the slave house in Ar, and though what he read shocked him, he did as
instructed. First burning the scroll, then he contacted a friend, making a
discreet inquiry about hiring mercenaries. Catron, Kol's friend said he knew
just the man, Torrence, an outlaw, who
had once been First Sword of Ar Station. Kol told him what was needed and Catron
with a wicked grin and a gleam in his eyes, said he could handle the
arrangements. A time line was set, a deadline, an ahn set for a signal. The
targets not placed but an ahn before. The beauty of the plan is that no one
beyond Kol knew Liandrin was involved at all. Kol presented the plan to Catron
as his idea. A way to get back at a city both men had a dark history with.
Catron indeed made good on his promise. Taking it upon himself to seek Torrence
out personally. The men, also long time friends, enjoy a bowl or two of paga,
the services of two slave girls and then spoke long into the night about the
plan Kol had brought to Catron on how to destroy Port Kar. Torrence, had a
particular hatred for several Karians, and the more he heard, the more plausible
it seemed to be. He agreed to the hiring of his band of men at the price of 50
double gold tarn disks per man, given the odds of getting out of Kar would not
be as favorable as getting in.
The plans were set, gold exchanged, and the
band of 11 mercenaries made their way to Kar. Their ship docked, and they all
dispersed into the City, nothing but a crew on a merchant vessel like hundreds
of other men in the City. Catron had a arranged for a different ship with a
standard delivery of tharlarion oil and it was already docked and through
inspection. The mercenary crew unloaded the barrels, then each of them placed
barrel and crate clusters in strategic locations throughout all the City
districts. Some barrels were placed in large crates themselves. Soon the Red Urt
district, with one large crate right up against the back corner of the Spotted
Urt Inn and a few others placed at other key locations such as near the thieves
den, were all targeted. Then more placed in the market and shopping districts
near several shops known to have lots of flammable materials: book stores,
scribe and dress shops. More barrels
were set behind the Twisted Herlit, and the Many Pasangs Inn, several other paga
dens and taverns, not even the Waterfront Cafe was spared. No one notices men
that just blend in carrying cargo crates here and there, setting things down,
then, even sitting on them and talking. One thing about Kar, crates and barrels
are everywhere; in alleyways, behind shops, along warehouse walls, and dock
pilings. No one notices them because they all look alike, no one different from
all the others. Then several were placed in locations throughout the warehouse
district, still more in the Rim canal region, and even the floating spice market
and the 25th of Se'Kara monument. Finally barrels were placed on the docks as
well. No area was spared. Everything set, the men retreated to sniper positions
and awaited the signal.
Meanwhile
the Quarterless, with its dark sails unfurled and catching the wind, glided
easily out of the harbor. Once clear and entering the Tamber, Liandrin looked up
and nodded to the man in charge of raising the flags. "Now Darion." The man
pulled the flag down that bore the symbol pennant of her fleet, the scroll worm,
and put up a different one, this one black with a red flame sewn on the center
of it, and then a lit lantern was waved from the crow's nest three times only to
be immediately snuffed out. She held a spyglass up and watched the docks. Within
5 ehn of the flag being raised, as if out of nowhere a flame lit arrow streaked
through the darkening sky striking the barrel of oil there on the docks cleanly.
It burned and another arrow streaked by, This arrow was special. Tied to it was a small
leather corded bracelet, holding a small oil filled glass bead. The arrow
narrowly missed a drunken sailor weaving to his ship. This arrow hit the barrel
again and suddenly as the wood burned and the oil inside heated, the glass bead
burst, there was a odd popping sound, right as the barrel exploded spreading
fire along the docks as other barrels placed here and there caught fire and
exploded. The bracelet adding to the explosion, just as Mae had said it would
when thrown into flames. That drunk sailor's screams were loud when his pants
then the edge of his tunic caught fire. He jumped into the water of the
harbor to put himself out. The explosion and fire rapidly engulfing the docks
was the signal the mercenaries had been waiting for. Suddenly throughout the
city flaming arrows hit their targets. Barrels burned, crates exploded and fire
spread immediately. Barrels of oil had been leaked into the canals themselves
which were soon also burning along the top of the water, setting the skiffs tied
along the many canal pilings aflame as well. The band of mercenaries, made sure
their bows did not survive the flames and blended in with all the rest of the
people fleeing the fires to each make their way home as and when they
could.
Chaos engulfed the city as the flames spread
swiftly throughout the densely crammed buildings, businesses, and homes.
Buildings everywhere were soon engulfed in flames, an intense heat radiated in
the air as the city burned. Flames jumped with no care for what it destroyed,
and it destroyed everything in its path. The Red Urt district was burning so
heavily, Lia doubted there would be any buildings left intact. The screams of
the citizenry fighting or being consumed by the flames, and the alarm bells that
clamored alerting anyone not already aware of the impending doom, rang out over
the water. But it was the way the burning city lit up the night sky, that had
the tiny red head smiling as her ship sailed away, never to return. Mal gave her
a look, one of those, are you sure you know what you are doing, looks. Ignoring
him for the ehn, looking down at her now bare wrist, as Mae's bracelet is gone.
She looked up to the sky again, those three moons were now haloed in an oil
smoke haze, and fire. Mae was right, the bracelet had proven useful finally.
Even in a way, aided in her escape, she would have to thank the Haruspex when
she saw her again. She looked to Mal then and gave him a smile, one that was
meant to reassure him, and ease his worry. Yes she had just set fire to the
city, committing arson and vandalism and in the process renounced her Home
Stone. This time truly by her society's
standards she is an outlaw. But where she was going in Torvaldsland, they did
not believe in Home Stones or Caste, and Port Kar's laws only extend to its
walls. So did it truly matter? It did not, Jor's people would not consider her
an outlaw. As for Port Kar, those she cared about had been warned what was
coming, though cryptically. A simple unsigned note that said "Beware of fire"
sent to four specific houses besides her son's. She could only hope they
survived the fire unscathed.
She had spent many years in the north with
Hades, now she would make a life there again quite happily, with Jor. Her ship
met up with his fleet at the rendezvous point and she switched ships, boarding
his flag ship feeling like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. The huge
man's gruff voice called to her. "You finally done with that sewer they call a
city, Liandrin?" She moved to him, sliding her arms around his side. "I am..now
take me to your homeland." The combined fleet of ships sailed north as the
coming Spring melted the ice flows.-
